Failure of Pregnancy

Question 1

what should be the general approach to pregnancy failure (3)

Answer 1

1) initial discussions
2) clinical investigation
3) treatment or recommendations

Question 2

What is involved in initial discussions

Answer 2

1) zoonoses risk
2) is it really a problem
3) cost-benefit analysis
4) discuss isolation

Question 3

if there is an outbreak, the probability of finding the cause is (high/low); if there is a sporadic case, the probability of finding the cause is (high/low)

Answer 3

high; low

Question 4

what is the approach to a clinical investigation

Answer 4

1) history
2) precautions to prevent zoonoses
3) determine common diseases
4) examine mother, fetus, placenta
5) diagnostic testing
6) final diagnosis

Question 5

what is the clinical sign of embryonic death

Answer 5

return to estrus

Question 6

infectious causes of embryonic death are usually (early/late) whereas non-infectious causes of embryonic death are usually (early/late)

Answer 6

infectious = early
non-infectious = late

Question 7

what parts of the approach to FOP are key when investigating causes of abortion and stillbirth

Answer 7

examination of the mother, fetus and placenta as well as diagnostic testing (whether infectious or not)

Question 8

what is the chance of NO DIAGNOSIS of the cause of FOP for the following:

• horse:
• cow:
• sheep:
• goat:
• pig:

Answer 8

horse: 20%
cow: 60%
sheep: 60%
goat: 52%
pig: 53%

Question 9

when examining the dam to determine maternal causes of FOP, you should investigate what on the group level and what on the individual level

Answer 9

group: paired samples for serology
individual: vaginal cytology, vaginal culture, CBC/biochem

Question 10

when examining fetal causes of FOP, what 4 things are key to determine

Answer 10

1) has growth/development been normal
2) time of death
3) signs of fetal distress
4) signs of dystocia

Question 11

what are signs for indicating time of death occured at:
- up to 12 hours
- up to 24 hours
- up to 72 hours
- up to 7 days (144 hours)

Answer 11

12: cornea cloudy
24: bloody fluid in cavities
72: dehydration begins
7 days: mummification

Question 12

you examine an aborted fetus and see the following (4 scenarios)… what is the time of death prior to expulsion for each scenario:

1) cloudy cornea
2) bloody fluid in cavities
3) dehydration
4) mummification

Answer 12

1) cloudy cornea: <12h
2) bloody fluid in cavities: <24h
3) dehydration: <72h
4) mummification: < 1 week

Question 13

what is meconium staining and what does it indicate?

Answer 13

cell debris, bile and keratin; it indicates fetal distress prior to death (it shit itself)

Question 14

why is it important to determine if a dystocia occurred

Answer 14

it would NOT be worthwhile to perform diagnostics if you know it is a dystocia

Question 15

what is a cause of mummification in the following species:
- horse
- cow
- cat
- dog
- pig

Answer 15

horse: twinning
cow: BVDV1 and 2
cat: uterine torsion
dog: canine herpesvirus
pig: porcine parvovirus

Question 16

what is a requirement for maceration to occur

Answer 16

putrefactive bacterial infection

Question 17

in horses, where does embryo attachment/fixation occur

Answer 17

at the bifurcation

Question 18

why is it better for the umbilical cord to insert on the pregnant horn in horses

Answer 18

because if on the non-pregnant horn it has to be longer (and if too long can twist and the horse can die)

Question 19

what can help you ID that you are looking at the allantoic surface of the placenta

Answer 19

vascular supply on this surface

Question 20

what is the significance of the cervical star in horses (2 main reasons)

Answer 20

site of bacterial placentitis; where the placenta should have ruptured at birth

Question 21

where is the chorioallantoic pouch located in horses

Answer 21

beneath the endometrial cups

Question 22

what does the yolk sac remnant in horses look like

Answer 22

bony

Question 23

where will you find the hippomane in horses and cattle

Answer 23

in the allantois

Question 24

what are signs of shistosomus reflexus

Answer 24

1) body split along midline
2) front part of body reflected backwards
3) arthrogryposis of limbs

Question 25

a mare that has poor feed (nitrate/nitrite) while pregnant would have a foal with what complex

Answer 25

musculoskeletal disease and/or thyroid hyperplasia

Question 26

what is osteopetrosis

Answer 26

when the bone medulla is filled with bone (no marrow present)

Question 27

what are signs of EHV1 (varicellovirus equidalpha1) infection in the aborted fetus (3)

Answer 27

1) fibrin cast in trachea 2) interstitial pneumonia 3) focal necrosis on liver

Question 28

if you see fibrin cast in the trachea of an aborted foal, what was the cause?

Answer 28

varicellovirus equidalpha1 (EHV1)

Question 29

what is the guideline for an umbilical cord that is: too short: too long: in the horse!

Answer 29

too short: <36cm too long: >83cm

Question 30

what are the risks of a long umbilical cord in horses

Answer 30

1) placental infarct 2) strangulation 3) torstion (>3 turns)

Question 31

if a placental infarct occurs in horses, where will it ALWAYS be

Answer 31

in the body

Question 32

what are 3 causes of avillus regions in the placenta and therefore reduced placental reserve in horses

Answer 32

1) twinning 2) body pregnancy 3) premature separation

Question 33

what is the #1 cause of placentitis in horses

Answer 33

Streptococcus equi zooepidemicus

Question 34

If you see an edematous equine placenta, what disease should you immediately suspect

Answer 34

fescue endophyte toxicosis

Question 35

equine causes of FOP are mostly (idiopathic/infectious/non-infectious)

Answer 35

non-infectious

Question 36

what causes mare reproductive loss syndrome in 2001/2002

Answer 36

Eastern Tent Caterpillars have setae (hairs) that when ingested with feed puncture the intestines, uterus and placenta and cause amnionitis and foal sepsis (endotoxemia and bacteremia)

Question 37

how does the bovine placenta function differ from the equine placenta

Answer 37

bovine has a lot of reserve whereas the equine one does not

Question 38

the important causes of bovine FOP are infectious/noninfectious

Answer 38

infectious (agents differ regionally)

Question 39

of the infectious cases of bovine FOP, what agents (broad category) cause the most problem

Answer 39

bacteria and protozoa

Question 40

how does fetal dermatitis in cows usually present and what is the cause

Answer 40

thickening of the neck and ipsilateral shoulder; mycotic (due to fungi)

Question 41

how do all fetal hearts look

Answer 41

pale

Question 42

what are 3 causes of fetal heart failure in cows

Answer 42

1) BVDV (Pestivirus bovis, tauri) 2) Vit E/Selenium 3) Neospora caninum

Question 43

what are 2 causes of focal liver necrosis in cow fetuses

Answer 43

1) BoHV 2) Listeria

Question 44

T/F caruncular sites can be seen in newborn female calves

Answer 44

T

Question 45

the cow placentome consists of __ rows of ________ on the maternal side that connect with _________ on the placental side

Answer 45

4; caruncles; cotyledons

Question 46

what does placental mineralization indicate

Answer 46

nothing, it is normal!

Question 47

what are amniotic plaques and what do they indicate

Answer 47

little clumps of fetal epidermis cells on the inner surface of the amnion; artifact

Question 48

what is adventitial placentation and when do we see it

Answer 48

placentation outside of cotyledons/caruncles; seen more often with subsequent pregnancies

Question 49

how does placentitis in the cow look (5 descriptive features)

Answer 49

- edema - necrosis - exudate - thickening of the intercotyledon area - cupping of cotyledons

Question 50

what is an "itis" that is unique to cattle FOP

Answer 50

amnionitis

Question 51

when you see amnionitis, 99% of the time you should think of ________ as the cause

Answer 51

ureaplasma

Question 52

name an important abortion agent in cattle from the following categories: - bacterial - fungal - protozoal - viral

Answer 52

bacterial: truperella pyogenes fungal: aspergillus fumigatus protozoal: neospora caninum viral: BVDV, BoHV-1

Question 53

why should you NEVER give a pregnant cow the BoHV-1 vaccine

Answer 53

it is a live modified vaccine and will cause abortions and fetal liver necrosis

Question 54

what is a common protozoal cause of abortions in cows that is due to natural breeding (hint: think of venereal diseases)

Answer 54

trichomoniasis foetus

Question 55

when we think about small ruminant FOP, we are more concerned about (infectious/non-infectious) agents

Answer 55

infectious

Question 56

what are the CCC and T of small ruminant FOP:

Answer 56

Coxiella Campylobacter Chlamydia Toxoplasma

Question 57

of the infectious causes of small ruminant FOP, which are airborne zoonotic agents

Answer 57

Chlamydia abortus and Coxiella burnetii

Question 58

what virus is a cause of abortion in small ruminants

Answer 58

Cache Valley virus

Question 59

are sheep or goats more likely to have coxiella

Answer 59

goats

Question 60

what is incredibly important to warn small ruminant farmers about

Answer 60

Coxiella burnetii (and Chlamydia abortus) -> 1 infectious particle of Coxiella enough to cause disease in humans

Question 61

what are 4 common fetal lesions in small ruminants and what is the cause

Answer 61

1) cyclopia (Veratrum californicum) 2) arthrogryposis (Cache valley) 3) anencephaly (Cache Valley) 4) liver necrosis (Campylobacter; Listeria)

Question 62

Hepatic necrosis in small ruminants can be large multifocal if caused by ____________ infection and small multifocal if caused by ___________ infection

Answer 62

Campylobacter; Listeria

Question 63

what are 3 signs of iodine deficiency in small ruminant fetus

Answer 63

1) myxedema of skin 2) goiter 3) alopecia

Question 64

of the diseases of the small ruminant placenta, chronic placentitis is typically caused by __________ whereas focal cotyledon necrosis is caused by _____________

Answer 64

coxiella, chlamydia, campylobacter; toxoplasmosis

Question 65

how does chronic placentitis in small ruminants appear

Answer 65

like pizza pepperoni = necrosis cheese = exudate

Question 66

what 8 steps are involved in the pathogenesis of small ruminant placentitis

Answer 66

1) exposure of mucous membranes 2) local proliferation 3) bacteremia 4) invasion of uterus/placenta 5) infection (especially of trophoblasts) 6) logarithmic growth 7) necrosis, neutrophilic inflammation 8) abortion

Question 67

what is a consideration for a sheep/goat that got infected with coxiella toward the end of pregnancy

Answer 67

she won't abort this pregnancy, but will abort the next one coxiella has an incubation period of 50-90 days, and animals are infected for life; they only abort once

Question 68

why is Coxiella such a bitch of a pathogen

Answer 68

it is highly resistant to physical and chemical agents due to endospores and is highly infective in a dried state; barns are essentially infected forever and the animals will show no clinical signs besides abortion

Question 69

if you see an aborted placenta from a small ruminant and the cotyledons are covered in tons of teeny little white dots, what do you immediately suspect

Answer 69

toxoplasmosis

Question 70

how do small ruminants acquire toxoplasmosis and what is the best way to control the disease

Answer 70

from feed contaminated by rodents or cat feces; control rodents and cat populations in the barn

Question 71

how does the canine conceptus appear

Answer 71

zonary placenta: has a middle transfer zone aka labyrinth and marginal zones (hematomas)

Question 72

in what area of the canine placenta do we typically find infectious agents

Answer 72

marginal zone

Question 73

why do dogs not commonly abort and what happens instead

Answer 73

autolysis; CL lasts the entire pregnancy, so the dog will not abort if the fetus dies and autolysis of the fetus occurs in the meantime

Question 74

how should you sample the canine placenta

Answer 74

across all 3 zones (zonary, labryinth, zonary)

Question 75

mortality of pregnancy in dogs is approx __%

Answer 75

20%

Question 76

in a kitten litter, it is common for what % mortality

Answer 76

10%

Question 77

pregnant cats subclinically carry ____________ so we will rarely see ________ and _________ caused by this agent, unlike in _____________

Answer 77

coxiella burnetii; abortion; stillbirth; small ruminants

Question 78

what bacterial agent is a common cause of FOP in puppy mills

Answer 78

brucella canis

Question 79

what is a common viral cause of FOP in dogs

Answer 79

canine herpesvirus 1 (varicellovirus canidalpha1)

Question 80

when does canine herpesvirus 1 usually cause FOP and how can we prevent it

Answer 80

usually in neonates up to 4 weeks; prevent by keeping warm as the virus thrives at 32C

Question 81

if you are called to a cat FOP, what should you warn the owners of

Answer 81

coxiella burnetti (zoonotic, very very pathogenic)

Question 82

what are 4 viral causes of FOP in cats

Answer 82

- FIV - FLV - feline calicivirus - FeHV1

Question 83

what are 2 bacterial causes of FOP in cats

Answer 83

coxiella burnetii and salmonella